8 July
2003
Media Contact:
Charles Hudson, CRITFC,
(503) 731-1275
Mike Matylewich, CRITFC, (503) 731-1251
Stuart Ellis, CRITFC, (503) 731-1312
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Tribes open first commercial
summer chinook gillnet season since 1965
Portland, Oregon
- The Columbia River
Basin's four treaty fishing tribes have opened their first commercial
gillnet fishery directed at summer chinook salmon in 38 years thanks
to the second-largest run size in 43 years.
The Columbia River Compact, representing the states of Oregon and
Washington, and fishers from Yakama, Warm Springs, Umatilla and Nez
Perce tribes agreed today to open a commercial gillnet fishery for
summer chinook from 6 a.m. Monday, July 14, to 6 p.m. Wednesday, July
16. That means fresh fish caught during the fishery will be available
to the public at over-the-bank sales sites throughout the Columbia
Basin.
Commercial sales of platform and hook-and-line-caught chinook and
steelhead opened July 3 and also will continue through 6 p.m. Wednesday,
July 16.
Sales of gillnet-caught fish will be offered at various sites throughout
Zone 6, a 150-mile stretch of the Columbia between the Bonneville
Dam and McNary Dam near Umatilla. Chinook, steelhead, walleye, shad
and carp will be sold. Sockeye salmon and sturgeon will not be available
for sale during the gillnet fishing period.
This year's summer chinook run is expected to reach 120,000 fish,
compared with 2002's peak of 129,000. That makes this year's run the
second highest since 1960, when 125,700 summer chinooks returned.
The tribes last had a directed commercial gillnet fishery for summer
chinook in 1965.
"The summer chinook counts at Bonneville Dam are strong,"
Davis Washines, a member of the Yakama Nation, told Compact representatives.
"The tribes look at the opportunities presented by the 2003 summer
chinook return with much hope and anticipation for the future."
Stuart Ellis, harvest management biologist for the Columbia River
Inter-Tribal fish Commission, said the commercial fishery for gillnet-caught
summer chinook is significant.
"The tribes have basically waited all this time to establish
a full commercial fishing opportunity on these fish," he said.
But Ellis stopped short of saying it means summer chinook salmon have
recovered.
"We could say it's a rebound from both 1992 and 1995," when
the runs reached only 15,150 fish and 15,052 fish, respectively, he
said. "We're making progress. That's the message."
Ellis attributes the strong runs to good ocean conditions, which bolstered
survival. Also, like the spring chinook run earlier this year, the
summer chinook run appears to be dominated by brawnier 5-year-old
fish.
A staple of the tribal diet for thousands of years, salmon are recognized
as one of the healthiest foods available. Salmon contain high amounts
of these healthy omega-3 oils, and studies published in Circulation:
Journal of the American Heart Association have found that omega-3's
make blood less likely to form clots that cause heart attack and protect
against irregular heartbeats that cause sudden cardiac death.
Over-the-bank sales help tribal fishers support their families and
make it possible to continue their traditional livelihood. Prosperous
fisheries also have broader local and regional economic benefits.
The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) estimates
that for every $10 generated by fish sales, as much as $7 is contributed
to local economies.
Tribal sellers can be found at various locations between Bonneville
Dam and McNary Dam. Major sales locations include the Marine Park
at Cascade Locks, Lone Pine at The Dalles and the boat launch near
Roosevelt, Wash. Buyers should bring sufficient ice and coolers to
keep fish fresh. Sales are cash only. Customers can call toll-free
(888) 289-1855 for more information.
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About CRITFC
The Portland-based Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission is
the technical support and coordinating agency for fishery management
policies of the Columbia River Basin's four treaty tribes: the Confederated
Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes
of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, the Confederated Tribes
and Bands of the Yakama Nation and the Nez Perce Tribe.
CRITFC, formed in 1977, employs biologists, other scientists, public
information specialists, policy analysts and administrators who work
in fisheries research and analyses, advocacy, planning and coordination,
harvest control and law enforcement. |
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